Just don't Snap
by Tae-Tae27
Summary: Just don't
1. Prologue

**Hi! It's me! Apologies in advance! I haven't really watched Tokyo ghoul so I may get some facts wrong. Also, I have trouble keeping up with the CCG so I might mix up their names or etc.**

Touka signed for the thousandth time. The day hadn't been kind to here and she was looking for a nice meal. Being part of the Anteiku, eating humans that were still alive was strictly prohibited. She herself usually enforces this rule, though today she felt like making an exception.

She sighed again, it wasn't fair. Looking around, she picked out the faces of ghouls from the humans. Her desire to live peacefully with humans led to more than a little inconvenience, especially the food factors. Shrugging, she kept walking, ignoring her stomach.

"Touka!" Said Yoshimaru, "You're back!" Touka smiled at the friendly staff member. Being a ghoul led to a lonely life, and she was no exception. The added strain of being a part-time waitress and school was hard on a girl like her, which made Yoshimaru such a welcome addition in her life. "Sorry for leaving you like this" said Touka, picking up an order and examining it. Yoshimaru smiled gently at her. "No worries, it was your break after all" Touka nodded.

-Le time skip-

Closing time

Touka gratefully turned the sign on the door from Open to Closed. She sighed as she began to walk home. She was exhausted, though a trifle more today since she hasn't eaten in a while.

The night air was cold. Touka took in a breath of the sharp air and sighed. "I'm starving" she said.

She was indeed, though probably more so than she thought. Rounding a corner, she saw a fellow ghoul feasting on a carcass. "Yo Touka" said the ghoul, recognizing her, "Want a bite?" Touka smiled at the kind offer, "if you're sure" she said. She bent down as the ghoul handed her an arm.

The ghoul was suddenly thrashed against a wall. Another ghoul with rusty blond hair was looking angrily at the intruder. "How many times I got to tell you, you can't eat on my GROUNDS!" He stabbed the ghoul, and turned away as he fell.

Then he saw Touka.

Touka sighed," This isn't your ground, this is public property handed to the ghouls who can't hunt." She said, repeating what she had undoubted said many times. Nishiki looked at Touka, taking in her tired state.

He grinned

"Try and stop me" he invited.

Touka snapped her head up at that. "What did you just say?" she asked. Nishiki snapped out his kagune. "Exactly what I meant" he said. Touka growled at him, "Last chance to back out before I rip you to shreds" she warned, bringing out her own kagune. Nishiki was unfazed, choosing instead to pounce on her. Touka avoided the attempt, and felt the first surge of uncertainty. Shouldn't she have been able to move faster than that?

Then she yelped in fear as her Ukaku was deflected by Nishiki's bikaku. She was sure something was wrong now. Nishiki was a common offender that frequently attracted the attention of Touka, and in which Touka had defeated numerous times. This time, however, was different.

Touka felt like she couldn't focus, and had to stop more frequently than usual to rest. She saw Nishiki laugh at what he considered to be Touka's slipup. "Tired already? This isn't the usual you, did something happen?" he asked, with fake concern. Touka could only glare at him.

The battle, if it could even be called that, lasted for no more than a few seconds. Nishiki tore apart Touka's Ukaku, and effectively rendered her helpless. Touka stared at Nishiki, wishing that she could tear him apart, here and now. It wasn't in her nature to actually do serious damage to other ghouls (except when they attack Anteiku), but she was willing to make an exception for Nishiki.

Nishiki's bikaku closed in on Touka's uncrystalized Ukaku. He grinned down at her, "Time's up Touka, either you give this piece of land to me, or I rip you apart!" Touka glanced stubbornly up at him, "No" she said determinedly. Nishiki shrugged, "Suit yourself" he said.

He prepared to finish her off (because, unlike most of the Anteiku, he wasn't afraid to eliminate others, human and ghoul alike)

Touka prepared for the delivering blow that would end everything. She was thinking over her life now, and found it ironic. Of all the dangers she faced as a ghoul, it was kind of unfitting to be defeated by another ghoul. She closed her eyes

But the blow never came

Touka glanced up, and saw the fluffy sheet-like texture of another pair of Ukaku wings, white as snow. She couldn't help but reach out to touch the wings, and found, with surprise, that they were soft. She had never encountered a soft type of kagune, if they even existed.

"Miss, are you alright?" asked a shy voice from behind. Touka snapped her head around, expecting another ghoul to take advantage of Nishiki's work and cannibalize her. To her surprise, she saw a (admittedly timid) boy about eight years old with bleached hair and jet-black clothes. "Who are you?" asked Touka suspiciously. She was used to distrusting people, and wasn't swayed by appearances. The boy flinched at the harsh tone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he shouted, whimpering slightly "But I saw you fighting him and I got scared you might get hurt so I…uh…I'm sorry!"

Touka felt a little bad for scaring a kid like him, but she ignored that feeling. It was a matter of survival. She glared at the kid, "Get away from me" she hissed. The boy instantly retracted his kagune, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

This was a mistake. Touka was still in no position to fight, and she realized this after she shooed away the boy. Nishiki wasn't sure what happened, but he wasn't really interested. "Touka, let's play~" singsonged Nishiki. Touka aimed her Ukaku wings at him, and attempted to crystallize them.

It didn't work

Touka looked frantically at her kagune. Why wasn't it working? It had always worked before. She had no time to ponder it as she was thrown against a wall. She clutched at the kagune around her neck. "Let...me...go…you…bastard!" she choked out, her defiance ever so high even in her current, dangerous state. Nishiki looked amused, "Make me" he said.

He pierced Touka with his kagune.

Touka coughed out an explosion of blood. She clutched her stomach, and fell limply to the floor. Nishiki could've left her there, she wasn't going to bother him anymore, but his fighting blood was up, and adrenalin surged through him. He looked hungrily at Touka. He had never eaten ghoul flesh, but maybe it was time to try some.

He bent down, and opened his mouth.

The boy covered Touka again. Nishiki looked in annoyance at the boy. "Oi, what do you think you're doing?" he asked angrily. The boy flinched, "Um…I…uh…" he stuttered, not sure what to say.

"Pis off if you're not going to fight" he said. The boy shook his head, "No! I…I can't walk away, you might hurt her!" he said. Nishiki looked more closely at the newcomer. Nishiki could name most of the ghouls in the 20th ward without any problem, but he had never seen this one before. In fact, there were few kid-ghouls to begin with, and he was sure he would remember one if he saw one.

"Who are you?" he asked. The boy hesitated, "K-Kaneki…" he mumbled, "K-Kaneki Ken Kamishiro" Nishiki was sure he didn't belong here. "Which ward are you from?" he inquired. Kaneki hesitated again, "24th" he said. Nishiki tsked, "That's not a real ward" he scoffed.

Then a thought struck him. He turned back to the wide-eyed boy. "Hey, if you're really from the 24th ward, how come you're still alive?" The uneven ratio of humans to ghouls in the 24th ward was well-known.

"Cuz he has me" said a feminine voice.

Both Kaneki and Nishiki turned to where the voice came from. Kaneki's face lit up when he saw who it was. "Aneki!" he shouted. Nishiki huffed angrily. "More of you?" he said, sounding more than a little pised. After all, what he had planned initially was to grab a quick bite before going on his way.

Apparently that wasn't going to happen, because the eight-year-old, fuchsia-colored-hair girl stepped out. She looked scolding-ly at Kaneki. "Baka ototo" she said, "Can't even have one peaceful day without you almost getting slaughtered and eaten" Kaneki looked crestfallen. "Sowwy…" he mumbled.

Rize glared at Nishiki with amusement. "Get outta here, ani-san will be sad if I hurt you" she said.

Nishiki laughed, "Hurt me? I'd advise you, _girl_ , to run off before something regrettable happens" Rize sighed, she was used to people underestimating her due to her small size. "Not again…" she said. Kaneki looked scared, "Hey… you're going to let him live right?" he asked in fear. Rize sighed at her brother's annoying behavior. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say" she said. She knew Kaneki wouldn't stop bugging her until she agreed.

Rize kept her promise; she scared off Nishiki with a warning (and a few scratches)

She turned back to Kaneki, who was sitting beside the injured Touka, a worried expression on his face. "Miss, are you alright?" he asked. Touka looked up, "What's you're name?" she asked.

"Kaneki Ken Kamishiro, and that's my sister" he pointed to Rize, "Rize Ren Kamishiro"

Touka nodded, and slumped over. Kaneki immediately shot out a hand, and caught Touka. "Miss! Please stay awake!" he said. Touka glanced blearily at him. Kaneki beckoned urgently to Rize. "Oni-san! Please c'mere!" he said. Rize waltzed over, "'sup!" she said.

Unlike Kaneki, Rize was almost the exact opposite. She was unfazed by Kaneki's worry, and smiled cheekily. "Oh? What have we here?

Her smile faded as she saw Kaneki's expression. "Ken? You alright?" she asked. Kaneki looked up frantically, "No!" he shouted. Rize sighed and looked down. "Hey, don't black out on us 'k?" she said softly, "Can't have Ken here crying on me"

Touka looked up, and caught Kaneki's eye. Kaneki shook Touka gently, "Miss, can you tell us where you live?" he asked.

Touka would normally never reveal information like this, but she felt like she could trust the shy boy and his polar-opposite sister. "An…tehi…cuu" she mumbled, then passed out.

Kaneki looked at Touka. Rize nudged him, "C'mon, lets go" she said. Kaneki looked at her in disbelief, "No! W-We can't leave her here!" he said. Rize sighed, "Honestly Ken, you can be such a handful…" she mumbled, then shrugged. Kaneki picked up the unconscious girl gently with his Ukaku wings, and, using the remaining two he had left, flew off, carrying Rize with him.

Touka regained a sliver of consciousness. She looked around, and found with surprise that she was several feet off the ground. The thing she was lying on was incredibly soft, and she felt she could easily fall asleep here. Beside her, Rize was taping Touka with bandages. "Soft eh?" she said, guessing what Touka was thinking, "Only Ken can produce such soft kagunes" Touka looked incredulously at the gliding Kaneki. Rize answered the unspoken question, "I know, I know. How can a kid produce such a large kagum. Well, he's special. There's your answer, now hold still, I can't get a grip on you" Touka blushed as she realized she had been moving quite a bit.

Rize patched her up, and grinned. "Welp! My work's done!" she said before flopping down onto the huge kagune. "It's not everyday that I get to sleep in such a soft bed" she said. Kaneki delicately wrapped a blanket of his kagune over Rize, and within minuets she was asleep.

Touka felt her eyes droop. She nuzzled into the soft, fluffy kagune. It was hard to remember that the thing under her was a weapon, it was so…soft. She sighed, and smiled as she felt a sheet-like thing wrap around her.

Kaneki kept going through the night air. He looked back, and saw with content that Touka and Rize were asleep. He was extra-careful to make his movemets as small as possible, he didn't want to wake any of them. "Anteiku…" he mumbled, scanning the ground. He saw a small coffee shop. He gently beached himself, and knocked.

 **Hi! It's Me!**

 **The prologe is done! For those who don't know, I always post a prologue first, then decide whether the story's worth working on or nah. I usually countinue, but not always.**

 **That's all**

 **Ciao!**


	2. First Snap

**Hi! It** **'** **s Me!**

 **This** **took so long! I honestly think I should** **discontinue** **this series. Not** **a lot** **of you seem to be enjoying this, so I may scrap this and start something new.**

 **That** **'** **s all I got, Ciao!**

Kaneki knocked.

He didn't know why he expected an answer; half of Tokyo was already asleep so obviously this particular shop would be closed. He hesitated, looking at the two sleeping girls in his Ukaku wings. What was he suppose to do, dump them at a nearby bus stop?

He nudged Rize. "Onii-san…" he whispered, "The shop's closed"

Rize stirred, "Mh? Oh, so it is~" she said before falling asleep again, her head practically diving back into Kaneki's Ukaku. Kaneki bit his lips, what now? Looking around, he saw a figure moving inside. He knocked again, more loudly, and the figure turned towards him.

A sudden doubt struck him. He didn't know the person in the café, and he might not take kindly to ghouls. He quickly retracted his kagune and carried Rize and Touka in manually.

"Um…sorry to bother you so late, but do you know this girl?" asked Kaneki bluntly, pointing to Touka.

"Touka!" exclaimed the man. He immediately seized her, "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Well, he knows her. That's a first" thought Kaneki as he helped Yoshimura carry Touka and Rize in.

"Thank you young lad" said Yoshimura they carried the sleeping girls in, "You did a good thing"

Kaneki nodded awkwardly, he wasn't used to people thanking him. "'Sall right" he mumbled, scuffing a mark into the polished wood of the café.

Yoshimura was struck with a sudden doubt. He turned to Kaneki, "Where exactly did you find her?" he asked. If this boy was a non-ghoul, then….

"I found her in the alleyway. She was fighting another ghoul" he said calmly. Yoshimaru relaxed. Kaneki had said "another ghoul" instead of "a ghoul" meaning that he was also one himself.

"What is your name?" asked Yoshimura. Kaneki hesitated, he didn't want to say. "My name's Ken" he said, using the name Rize calls him. Yoshimaru smiled gently, "Ken, you don't have to be shy. This is Anteiku, home of the ghouls" he said by the way of explanation.

Kaneki breathed out a sigh of relief. So he was safe here. He had feared that Yoshimura may have been a normal cilivilian or worse, a CCG investigator. "Really?" he asked. Yoshimura nodded, "Really"

Yoshimura lead him to a free table. Kaneki pointed to his siblings, "Where do I put them?" he asked. Yoshimura pointed upstairs. "We have a few vacant rooms upstairs" he said, "They can use those"

Kaneki nodded in acknowledgement, and carried both girls into the top room. It was easy enough to find, since it was one of the few rooms that were empty.

Kaneki came back downstairs to see a cup of coffee on the table. Yoshimura smiled encouragingly, "Go on" hesaid, seeing Kaneki eying the coffee. Kaneki sat down, but didn't drink the coffee. Instead, he looked at it apprehensively.

"What's the matter, you don't like coffee?" asked Yoshimura.

"No, I do. It's just that…" Kaneki was cut off. "Take a good look at the coffee, does it look strange?"

"No sir," said Kaneki, "It looks delicious"

"Then why don't you give it a try?" he suggested

Kaneki stared down. He didn't want to hurt Yoshimura's feelings, but he also didn't want to drink what he thought would be something bad. Throwing commonsense to the wind, Kaneki tipped his head back and took a long pull.

His eyes showed shock. He had never had anything that was actually good, in the sense of human food. He quickly drained the cup.

"Wow, it is delicious" he said in surprised delight. But then his face fell, "But everything else I eat or drink tastes awful" There was no bitterness in his words, only simple acceptance.

"Through the ages, coffee has been the only thing ghouls have been able to enjoy the way humans can" explained Yoshimura, "But drinking coffee alone isn't enough to satisfy hunger. Take this"

Yoshimura handed him a package wrapped in tan packaging paper. Kaneki looked at it with some interest. "What is it?" he asked, to which Yoshimura replied; "When you need more, don't hesitate to come back for more, there's plenty where that came from"

Kaneki dully accepted the small, wrapped parcel.

Once Yoshimura was alone-he had told Kaneki to take the same room as Rize-he began to clean up. His thoughts wandered to Kaneki, mainly; who was that mysterious boy?

He had his suspicions. There was a rumour going around about an incredibly powerful, SSS rank ghoul who had bleached hair and always wore black. He had been nickname "Eyepatch" by the CCG due to his unique mask which covers his left eye. The strangest part of this rumour was the fact that, despite his reputation as a SSS-rank, he had never hurt anyone before. That included CCG investigators, people and ghouls alike. People were baffled by this anomaly, but no one was going to argue about it. SSS rank ghouls are legendary and rare and people generally preferred things to stay that way. The fact that Eyepatch was so docile wasn't bad news. For the record, Eyepatch had never caused any injuries (amongst the humans) or even collateral damage, but that didn't stop investigators from doing research on him. Such a young ghoul becoming so powerful was virtually unheard of.

That was incredibly difficult, however, because Eyepatch was extremely illusive and shy. Whenever the members of the CCG came close, he would dart away and simply disappear. This has irritated them more than once, but it was a minor thing. Most investigators treat him as a C-class ghoul instead of a SSS-rank ghoul.

The description fitted the tame, rather shy boy that Yoshimura had taken in just today.

Upstairs, Kaneki had trouble sleeping. The gnawing hunger in his stomach was one factor, but there were also others. He looked over to Rize, who was hugging him tightly around the waist, mumbling something along the lines of "I'm hungry" and "Kaneki's a weenie" It was interesting how Rize said the same thing every night.

Kaneki shuffled uneasily. Sleeping in an unknown territory was against his survival instincts. Back in the 24th ward, he would find a small, unknown alleyway or something and use his Ukaku a tent for him and Rize. He felt safe, if not comfortable in familiar territory.

But here at Anteiku, it was different. He kept telling himself that it was safe here and that he was just being paranoid.

Eventually, he slept.

The next morning, he and Rize went to school. (Yoshimura was kind enough to enroll them into a public school near Anteiku).

While passing by, Kaneki noticed two girls talking. "Do you know about that bakery near the train station? They have the yummiest stuff in there" she said. The other girl was eating a sandwich so she couldn't answer, but nodded in agreement. Kaneki sighed, ignoring the duo.

Kaneki didn't noticed Hide coming up from behind.

"Kaneki! You jerk! How often are you going to skip class?" he said.

Oh yeah, Hide was in the 20th ward, how did Kaneki forget.

 _To fill y_ _'_ _all in, this is Hide, the guy that lived next to Kaneki and his bestie. Hide doesn_ _'_ _t know about Kaneki_ _'_ _s ghoul origins (or does he?) He can be_ _incredibly_ _clueless at times and is_ _rather cute when doing so._

"Oh, hi Hide" mumbled Kaneki shyly. Hide was a few years older than him, but a great deal more immature. Hide huffed in annoyance, "I've got to pick up some things from Nishio, he's a upperclassmen, so a bit snarky, but 'ee's okay" he said. Kaneki nodded, "I'll go with you" he said, thinking that Hide would've asked him anyways.

On the way there, Hide asked "Hey Kaneki, I don't mean to pry, but are you eating right?" he asked casually, his hands behind his head "You're looking a little pale. You're going to have to eat better if you want to stay healthy". Kaneki stiffened, Hide didn't ask this often, and every time he did, Kaneki had to make up a new excuse to stall him. He didn't want him to know that he wasn't eating right at all.

"Right…okay" he said lamely, not thinking quick enough to form a better excuse.

'I can't get anything past Hide knowing he'd be able to see right through me' thought Kaneki, not for the first time 'He's hyper-sensitive, like he knows what I'm feeing before I do. He pretends everything's cool for my sake. What upsets me most about this is that if I was to tell him how what I really am, and how I really few, I couldn't hang out with him anymore'

He trudged on

"I think you're really going to get along!" said Hide as they climbed up the stairs to an apartment. "Who, Nishio?" asked Kaneki rhetorically. "Yeah! Who else?" he said cheerfully, "Like I said, he can be snarky, but ee's cool. He's got this dark, mysterious vibe…it's hard to explain"

Hide opened one of the doors and shouted, "Hey Nishio!" really loudly. If it was Kaneki who was visiting Nishio, he would've at least knocked first.

"Do you always go places without any warning Nagachika?" he asked.

"Sorry 'bout that. I wasn't thinking" said Hide, not the least shameful.

"Yeah no kidding" said Nishio, slightly darkly "Y'know, nothing pises me off more than someone disrespecting my territory"

"So anyways," said Hide, oblivious to Nishio's change in tone, "This is my friend, Kaneki I was telling you about before"

Kaneki's eyes widened. He recognized this person.

He was the one that attacked them last night, in the alleyway.

Apparently Nishio recognized him too.

The incident the night before started to play in Kaneki's brain. He could see every detail, as if it were happing right now…

Nishiki Nishio" he introduced casually, "I'm a second-year in the school of pharmacy. **It's nice to meet you** "

Apparently, Nishio didn't want Hide finding out about their relationship.

"You wanted last year's number right?" asked Nishio, turning back to Hide. Hide nodded, "Yeah, but I'm only interested in the retail data. Wish I could remember where I put it" he said, shuffling through a box full of papers.

"Oh wait, it's probably at home" interjected Nishio. "Seriously?" asked Hide, his cheerfulness falling slightly.

"If you want, we could walk there right now" he said, "I don't live too far"

"Walk over to where, your house?" asked Hide. "That okay?" asked Nishio in response to his question. "Well…I need the data"

He turned towards Kaneki, "Sorry buddy, hate to ditch you like this but we've got to hang out some other time"

Kaneki was about to agree, but remembered how Nishio was actually a ghoul. It wouldn't be safe to leave him alone with Hide.

"Um…'scus me. Do you mind if I tag along?" he asked. His tone was timid, but his eyes told Nishio that he wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

Kaneki could be assertive when the plot demanded it

Nishio turned around in his swivel chair. "Yeah, that's fine" he said, obviously reading the message Kaneki sent, "It's not like I'm going to let him in or anything"

"Totally understandable" said Hide, not offended.

Nishio's phone started to ring. He signed and grabbed out his flip-phone from his jacket.

"Yeah what's up?" he asked, then said, "No I'm fine, I…" he turned to Hide, "How much of her did you see?"

Obviously, this was a conversation he and Hide had a while ago. Kaneki had no idea what they were talking about, but he wasn't going to interrupt.

They walked to Nishio's house. On the way, they passed a bakery. "Hey, you want one?" asked Nishio, already heading towards the stall.

"Sure!" said Hide, "Thanks man"

Nishiki bought three. He handed one to Kaneki.

Kaneki hesitated before accepting it. He had only been around for a relatively short time, so pretending to eat human food wasn't exactly his forte. He took it, but didn't' eat it.

"Here's yours" said Nishio, handing Hide one. "Thanks!" said Hide, undoing the wrapper.

"So, are you in any clubs Kaneki?" asked Nishiki, heading off to a side street. "Uh…no" said Kaneki. An elementary school had little clubs to offer, "I'd like to join one but I don't do so great with large groups"

"Oh yeah? You're the exact opposite of your buddy" he said, taking a bite out of the snack he bought.

Kaneki tensed up involuntarily. He has seen ghouls eat human food before, and knew that they were faking, but the sight of them doing so still sent shivers down his spine.

"This is the best one I've tasted" said Nishio in fake surprise. "I know, it's all crispy" agreed Hide. He looked to Kaneki, and gestured to his pastry. "Hey, aren't you going to eat yours?" he asked.

"I will…later" he mumbled, stuffing the wrapped tidbit into his backpack.

They walked on for another few minuets. Nishio rounded a corner…

And kicked Hide into an parking lot.

Kaneki reacted with surprise. Though, surprise may be an understatement.

Nishio smirked and turned away, "I don't think he needs to see this" he said breezily, "I thought I was the only ghoul in school, apparently not"

He turned to Kaneki. "You reek bud" he said, "You smell just like a female ghoul"

He slammed Kaneki towards a wall. Kaneki didn't react defensively, but he did flinch violently

"Don't think I didn't know your plan" he said, "You were planning to eat Hide weren't you?"

Kaneki whimpered a protest; he didn't eat flesh and didn't like how Nishio just assumed he did.

"Don't you just love the feeling of turning on someone who trusts you? The look of fear on their faces…" he said, his voice dripping with temptation, his words slightly slurred.

He savoured each word, as if they were honey

"But I don't wanna eat Hide" he said through chattering teeth.

Nishio narrowed his eyes. He punched Kaneki again, who promptly coughed out a waterfall of blood. He whimpered slightly, but didn't attack Nishio.

"Watch your mouth, you're starting to pis me off" he said warningly, "You're too easy"

Nishio let of Kaneki, who fell onto the floor. He curled up into a ball and tried to stop the tears from falling. Kaneki wasn't what one may call self-confident.

Nishio closed in on Hide, his eyes showing hunger. "How can humans eat that stuff? It's disgusting" he said, referencing the pastry he bought earlier "It tastes just like meat in a pile of horsecrap"

He stuck his fingers inside of his mouth. Gagging sounds could be heard echoing throughout the spacious parking lot.

He wiped his mouth after a while, smirking. He raised his head back up. "Oops, sorry 'bout that. Guess I just ruined your meal" he said, obviously ignoring Kaneki's statement about "not eating humans"

He stepped onto Hide, and grinned at Kaneki. "You two have known each other for a long time, he called you his best friend even! So tell me, when were you going to eat him?!"

He stomped repeatedly, "Don't you think you've waited long enough Kaneki? Which part do you want to eat first huh?!"

He stomped a little too hard, and a wet splotching sound could be heard. Crimson fell down Hide's unconscious face.

"S-Stop it!" said Kaneki, the attempt at being intimidating failing miserably due to his high voice and shy nature, "Hide's n-n-not food!"

"What did you just say?" asked Nishio, pretending not to hear. He stomped again, and drawing more blood.

"Please stop!" said Kaneki, rushing up to him to stop him, "I might snap!"

Nishio laughed, "Snap? What, do you think I'm afraid or somethin'?"

He kicked Kaneki and sent him flying. Kaneki rolled another few meters before stopping.

He spat out more blood.

"You just don't get it, do you?" asked Nishio, walking up to where Kaneki was "Humans are not allies of ghouls, they…are…food. And it's not nice to play with food"

Kaneki didn't reply. He felt his ghoul half **(A/N I made both Kaneki and Rize into half-ghouls with the same genetics. Kaneki has Rize's ghoul side, Rize has Kaneki's human side)** taking. Felt Rize's blood running faster, and faster.

"Y'know. Having Hide as victim was risky. He's no _baka_ , and might've caught on. Oh, and also this…"

Nishio flipped off Kaneki's eyepatch.

"You can't even control your own eyes. It's a anomaly how Hide hasn't caught on yet"

Kaneki started to struggle, but Nishio held him down.

Kaneki's left eye started to open, revealing a bloodshot pupil and an onyx sclera.

"C'mon, get up, or would you prefer I eat Nagachiaka first?" he said.

Kaneki couldn't, or rather didn't reply.

Nishio sneered at his silence "Pssht, what a weak ghoul" he scoffed.

He kinked Kaneki, and sent him flying up to the roof and back down. Kaneki was incredibly dangerous now. His self-control started diminishing by the second, and he felt himself struggling for authority over his own body.

He slowly got up, breathing heavily. His tiny body had sustained an unbearable amount of damage, but he still got up.

'I have to protect Hide' he thought, limping towards Nishio.

Nishio noticed his movement, and looked back. "Oh? You're getting up? That's more like it!"

An electric-blue kagune crawled down his body and wrapped around his leg. "Are you ready to hear him scream in agony-hey…is he unconscious?"

Nishio's voice showed disappointment, he had hoped for some fun before eating.

"Ah well then…" he said breezily, and raised up his kagune-wrapped foot. He prepared to stomp, and hopefully shatter Hide's skull.

Kaneki started to see a flashback, it was him and Hide sitting outside of the school.

 _Hey!_

 _Kaneki turned from his book to a tiny Hide, his rusty hair messy like always._

" _Why are you always reading books?" asked Hide, sitting beside Kaneki._

 _Kaneki quickly dug his face into his book. This was dangerous, a human so close to a ghoul could mean trouble. "Is it wrong?" he mumbled, "I can go somewhere else…" he stood up to move elsewhere._

 _Hide stopped him, grabbing the cuff of his sleve, "Hey, now I didn't say that did I?" he said, "Look here, Imma gonna be blunt, I've just moved in and haven't made any friends yet, so will you be my friend?"_

 _Kaneki swallowed uncertainly. If he was to be honest, he would like a friend, but his dangerous life as a ghoul could put Hide in danger._

" _Uh…I dunno…do you want me as a friend?" he asked, mumbling into his book._

" _Sure!" said Hide, " 'name's Nagachiaka Hideyoshi, but you can call me Hide!"_

 _He extended a hand, and Kaneki shook it. It was the beginning of a long friendship…_

'He reached out to me when no one else would…' thought Kaneki glumly, still limping, 'I have to protect him..!'

That thought was what triggered everything. His mind froze in horror. He knew this feeling; it was the feeling of losing control. "No…nononononononono!" he shouted, his high voice making the sound weird. He planned to use his Ukaku to defend Hide whilst using his Koukaku to protect himself to escape. Not to lose control in the midst of battle!

He felt himself slipping, felt Rize's blood run faster through his veins. He felt as if his kagune was about to explode, as if it was a balloon that could no longer be contained.

"Rize…stop me…" whispered Kaneki before everything went black.

When Kaneki woke up again, he had a deranged smile on his face.

"My oh my, what have we got here?" he said in his high little voice, "Looks like someone tried to eat my bestie"

His crimson Rinkaku exploded out of him, and squirmed like crazy around him.

"I can't let that happen, now can I?"

As if on cue, his Rinkaku tentacles cannoned into Nishio, forcing him to dodge. Strangely, it did not hit Hide.

Nishio leapt hurriedly. Uncomfortable memories of last night wandered into his mind. Despite that, he grinned. Last time, it was Rize who defeated him.

This time, it was Kaneki.

Now, Nishio did not realize how dangerous of a situation he was in right now. In fact, if Kaneki wanted to, he could've ripped him to shreds right now.

"Get out before I eat you up~" he said in a sweet, crazed voice.

That should've been able to set off alarm bells inside his mind now, but he was too driven to notice it.

"Oh really?" he said, countering one of Kaneki's attacks, "I could say the same to you"

He swept his kagune at Kaneki, who promptly chopped it to pieces. Bits of blue scattered the floor, some still moving. It was horrific.

Nishio quickly retracted what was still left of his kagune. He examined it incredulously, how was this possible? How could this tiny boy have so much power?!

His thoughts were cut off by as Kaneki pierced through Nishio with multiple kagunes. Nishio reacted with horror, never had he been hit like this.

An cascade of blood and probably Rc cells blasted out of Nishio. Kaneki tore at the wound he made, laughing like a madman.

Nishio screamed for the first time. "Stop it you idiot!" he shouted, "You're going to-"

Kaneki ignored the rest, he was having too much fun stabbing Nishio.

Again, and again, and again.

Nishio had gone quiet by now, but Kaneki still didn't stop. He stared at him, his pupil contracting to 1/3 of their original size.

Kaneki kept laughing.

Blood stained nearby cars.

Finally, Kaneki had his fill of fun. With a heave of his kagune, he thrust Nishio up to a nearby supporting beam.

He hung there, silent

If he was still conscious, he would've realized that picking a fight with Kaneki was the worst mistake of his life.

Kaneki looked back to Hide.

He sure looked tasty.

Crimson blood flowed out like juices, tempting flesh lay beneath the surface.

He licked his lips

Rize ran up to him, her skirt flying with the speed.

"Kaneki! Stop!" she shouted. Usually, Rize was a calm person with a sarcastic edge, but the sight of her onii-san like this made her tip off the edge a little.

Kaneki snapped his head around, his eyes still crazed.

The sight of Rize snapped his out of it.

"Onii-san" he said. He looked down at Hide, and clamped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he was about to do.

He broke down, sobbing like a child. Rize wrapped her arms around him, "There there, don't cry" she cooed, "He's still alive…more or less, so that's something"

Kaneki didn't stop, he dug his face into Rize's skirt as tears continued to fall. Rize sighed, normal Kaneki was such a crybaby.

Rize thought for a moment, Kaneki was obviously not going anywhere soon, and Hide needed medical attention. She did the only thing she thought of.

She knocked him out.

Kaneki woke up on a couch, covered in a blanket. He looked around, and saw that he was back in Anteiku.

His hand flew to his stomach, which was yowling uncomfortably. He was starving.

Most ghouls were driven by hunger, but Kaneki's thoughts went to Rize first. Where was she?

"Rize-nii..?" whimpered Kaneki, "Rize-nii, where are you?!"

"I'm right here Ken" said a soothing voice.

Kaneki looked around and saw the familiar shade of pink and magenta. He smiled in relief.

Rize poked Kaneki, "Hey, I'm hungry" she said, using her best whiny voice, "I want food"

Kaneki nodded, "S-Sure" he said. Then paused.

"Where is Hide?" he asked, looking around again. Rize put a calming hand on Kaneki before he could panic. "He's in the next room. Touka and Yoshimura looked at him"

Kaneki exhaled in relief.

"I want to see him" he said.

Rize sighed, it looked like dinner was going to have to wait. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever"

She lead Kaneki to the next room, and sure enough, Hide was there, lying on another couch, heavily bandaged.

"Hide…" Kaneki smiled a bit in relief before collapsing into Rize's waiting hands. "But what do I do now, now that Hide knows about my ghoul nature?"

Rize shook her head, "He doesn't know. He never will" she said, reassuring the fragile boy in her arms.

It's the sort of comfort that was only given and shared by siblings.

Rize sighed. Kaneki had gone through a lot. He was just a boy, yet had given up being a normal person just so his ghoul-sibling could experience what it was like to be half-human.

That's right, Kaneki was originally a full human, and Rize was originally a full ghoul. Rize had always wanted to be a person, just a normal citizen. Her brother, Kaneki, had done everything to help her achieve that dream. But they failed.

They were supposed to take out all of Rize's Rc cells and implant them in Kaneki and vice versa, but something went wrong, or off, and they both ended up as hybrids. Rize was content enough though, because that meant that she could eat both normal food and flesh. The same couldn't be said for Kaneki though. Sure, Kaneki could ingest normal food if he had to, but he would feel a bit woozy after that, and it would leave a nasty aftertaste in his mouth.

Rize seemed to read Kaneki's mind, because she held him a little close. "Don't think of youself like this" she said, "You are a hybrid, which means you belong not to neirther worlds, but to both worlds. You can live in the ghoul's world whilst retaining your place in side the human world"

And that made Kaneki feel so much better.


	3. Just another day

"Slowly pour it" instructed Yoshimura as Kaneki struggled to pour in milk from a teapot, going on his tippy-toes even with a footstool. He poured in the milk in circles, like how Yoshimura told him, carefully estimating how much milk he needed until…

He gasped as he accidentally spilt some of the creamy liquid onto the counter. He quickly turned to Yoshimura, "gomme!" he said. Yoshimura pat him gently on the back, "Don't be" he said, "No one expects you to get it right on your first try" Kaneki nodded, he was still getting used to having lower expectations to work with. In the 24th ward, it was eat or be eaten-literally. His thoughts drifted again, and he spilled some more onto the counter. He went to wipe it away, catching a glimpse of himself before the drop of liquid was gone.

"How is it?" asked Yoshimura. Kaneki had finished with the coffee, and was trying it out. He grimaced, "I can't say…I don't like coffee" he said bluntly. Yoshimura smiled at that, it was kind of ironic. Coffee is the only thing ghouls can enjoy like humans, and it just so happened to be the only drink Kaneki doesn't like. "In any case, don't forget that coffee can take on a different flavour depending on the amount of effort put into it" added Yoshimura, "Just like with humans, there's no need to rush" Kaneki nodded, "Okay" he said, feeling slightly more encouraged.

"Don't forget, Anteiku isn't your average café, it's a place where the ghouls of the 20th ward can come to socialize. But there are times that human customers come in as well" he continued, reminding Kaneki of the strange but not exactly dangerous situation he had put himself in. "I thought ghouls were suppose to hide themselves from the world, but we still serve human customers" he mumbled, not really wanting to sound dumb in front of Yoshimura but also curious about the reason behind the ghoul-café. Yoshimura turned to look outside, "If you want to blend in with society, you must first study them. One of the café's other purposes is this. In some ways, humans are like living textbooks" he explained, then added quietly; "Besides, I like humans" Kaneki looked surprised at that, he had never thought of himself on the same level as humans even though he used to be human. He had self-esteem problems, unlike his sister, who was the exact opposite.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, don't you think it's about time to lend Touka a hand?" suggested Yoshimura. Kaneki went red-faced before hurrying out of the room. "Why does Yoshimura-senpai like humans?" thought Kaneki on the way down, "Or-to clarify-in what sense does he mean by 'like'?" He opened the side door leading to the front counter. Upon opening it, he encountered the sight of Touka talking to Hide. Le gasp.

Kaneki stared. He didn't know what to expect, but certainly not this. It was kind of strange to see a highschooler talking to an elementary-er. And besides, the sight of Hide so close to a ghoul, ally or not, was kind of…unsettling. He was tempted to leap out and get Hide out of this café. But he couldn't do that because…it would expose not only him, but the rest of Anteiku. He bit his lips as he casually strolled up. "Hai Touka, hai Hide. Can I get you anything?" he asked politely, not showing a trace of the uncertainty he felt inside. Hide looked surprised when he saw him, "Hey Kaneki!" he said, "What are you doing here?" Kaneki smiled shyly, "I could asked you the same, whatcha doing?" he asked. Hide gestured to Touka, "To thank her of course!" he said, "Or did you already forget?" Kaneki frowned inwardly, "Thank her?" he asked. Hide rolled his eyes, "Ka-ne-kii!" he groaned, "Remember? We were caught up in that accident yesterday and Touka found us and brought us back!"

So they didn't tell him

"Oh…yeah" he said a little belatedly, realizing that Touka must've made up a story. Of course. Touka smiled innocently, like how an older sibling smiles. Tolerate and kind. "Looks like Kaneki hasn't completely recovered yet" she said gently, "But he will soon!" Hide laughed, always taking things so lightly "I see!" he said though he clearly didn't, "Welp, hope u get better soon! By the way, did you hear about Nishio-senpai? Apparently he had it rough and was still recovering!" he said, changing the subject, "We're lucky to have Touka-chan here". Hide picked up his things, "Well, it looks like I should be going now, have fun!" he said, swinging his backpack over his shoulder and heading for the front door. Touka's smile stayed frozen on her face all the way up until Hide rounded a bend, then she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Don't let him know about Anteiku's ghoul nature" she said, not looking at Kaneki. Kaneki nodded, clearing away the cup Hide had used, "I know" he said glumly. It had always been like this, secrets amongst secrets. Things Hide couldn't know, couldn't understand, and couldn't find out. That was what bounced around Kaneki's head as he cleaned. "If he finds out…" continued Touka, "I'll eliminate him on the spot". Kaneki nodded at that too, there wasn't a choice.

Their conversation was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Touka instinctively smiled welcomingly and greeted them. Her smile faded however, when she saw who it was. "Ryouko-san!" she cried, hurrying towards her. She turned back to Kaneki, "Towels!" she shouted. Kaneki took a second to react before making his awkward way out of the main area to the back room for towels. He emerged a few seconds after entering, the door not having fully closed behind him. He made his way around the counter to offer the towels to Touka, standing-again- on his tippies. Touka didn't even spare him a glance, snatching the towels off one by one and handing them to Ryouko. "Sorry to bother you like this" said Ryouko, helping Touka dry off Hinami, "But you guys were the closest" Touka gave her a tight smile, "No problem Ryouko-san" She turned to Hinami, "It's been a while, Hinami" she said.

Ryouko turned to Touka suddenly, "Where is Youshimura?" she asked, it seemed like she had something urgent. Touka gestured to a back door, "Inside" she said briefly. Ryouko nodded. Kaneki looked at Hinami, caught her glance, and smiled awkwardly at her. Smiling was still something he had to get used to. Hinami looked away, embarrassed. As soon as they were dry, Ryouko lead Hinami to the back door Touka had highlighted, and disappeared into the hallway.

"They're ghouls" said Kaneki. There was no surprise, he had expected as much. An Ukaku user by the smell. Touka nodded, "That's Ryouko-san, we'll be taking care of her from now on" she said crisply, tossing the used towels back at Kaneki. Kaneki tilted his head, "Taking care?" he asked. Touka nodded, "Long story" Kaneki asked again, "Long story?" he was curious. Touka slammed her hand onto the tabletop, "Stop asking!" she said, anger fuming out. Kaneki cast his eyes down, "Sorry…" he said, "It's my fault" the words were automatic and emotionless. He had said them many times. "By the way" said Touka, forgetting some of her previous anger, "Did the manager tell you about the Suits?" Kaneki shook his head, "No" he said.

"They're the guys that walk around with the big, metal suitcases, be careful of them" said Touka.

A person was taping on a metal suitcase, making a dull _thump_. He was sitting at a white table. "This map shows the current status of the 11th ward," said a spokesperson, taping a projected map, "It is clear that they are showing coordinated movement. I think it would be a matter of time before a war breaks out. That's all I have, does anyone else have anything to report?" he asked. A person raised their hand. The spokesperson nodded to him, and he stood up. "Amon Kotaro, first-grade detective" he reported before saying, "I have something" A picture of a metal clamp showed up onscreen. "I'm sure all of you are aware of this item. Three months ago, Jason from the 13th ward encountered this item. This is believed to have been dropped by an S-class ghoul from the 20th ward. This was what was left at the scene" "What's that" the spokesperson said contemptuously, not really interested in the "new discovery". "We think it's a ghoul apparatus. It may sound preposterous, but we analyzed the material and found it was made of quinque steel. Jason's objective is unknown, but what is known is that ever since Jason's meeting with the S-rated ghoul, there had been an noticeable decrease in activity from this particular ghoul. I think there is something smouldering in 20th ward" The spokesperson put on a grin, "I see why you're ahead of the class detective. Mado, you must be happy to have such a capable partner"

A person with bleached hair, white lab coat smirked enigmatically, "Yes, yes. Lucky me, now if we could wrap up this meeting early, I can think of a million other things to do with my time" he said in the bored voice of a teen. The spokesperson smirked back, "If you weren't such a good detective, I would've tossed you out before anything else. Alright! Amon, Mado, you're in charge of the 20th ward understood?" he said. "Yes!" said Amon though Mado didn't reply.

"I find it unsettling for the ghouls in the once-quiet ward suddenly becoming more active, can't shake the feeling of something big about to happen. But we cannot divert out pathes! We, as CCG, are responsible for driving out every ghoul from Tokyo! So get to it! Dismissed"

"Well, at least we can investigate the 20th ward at our leisure now" said Mado in a cheerful tone. They were walking down the halls of CCG department now that the meeting is over "But we only have this one lead" said Amon, holding up a pair of metal pliers in a plastic Ziplocktm. Mado looked back, "That's all I need" he said, almost purring out the words. He looked out the window, "The 20th ward…" he said. "What about it?" asked Amon. He didn't like his twenty-one year old partner, and was unintentionally suspicious about him. "Oh, nothing" he said, smirking to himself.

"Give it a try" invited Yoshimura. Kaneki looked dully at the plate of crusts-cut-off sandwiches. "Yum" he thought sourly. He picked one up, holding it in both hands, and took a nibble. Yoshimura expected him to spit it right out in disgust, but surprisingly, he kept chewing. "Kaneki…spit it out" he said worriedly. A ghoul can't eat human food. Kaneki swallowed.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Yoshimura opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. This…this wasn't how things were suppose to go. "Kaneki, the trick to eating human food is to swallow it whole and pretend to chew it. You better throw that up before you start digesting it" he said. Kaneki nodded. As a small ghoul, he had been taught how to do indulged-vomiting. He stuck some fingers in his mouth, retching noises could be heard.

"Kaneki, you have to practice eating without digesting. Once you do that, you can start eating with your friend again" said Yoshimura. Kaneki felt a small dot of pleasure at those words. "Oh, and here's a present for you to help you on your way" he continued, holding out a glass container with several, brownish sugar cubes. "Are these…sugar cubes?" he asked. Why would Yoshimura give his sugar cubes out of the blue like this? "These are sugar cubes, but slightly different on the inside. Put them in your food and it will control your hunger to some degree. And they taste better" he added jokingly. Kaneki cracked a small smile at that, then it faded. "W-What are these made of?" he asked. Yoshimura shook his head, "Best you don't know" he said. "But I have to!" Kaneki suddenly exclaimed, "I…I can't eat humans…" Yoshimura widened his eyes slightly at that. A ghoul that had never eaten flesh? "Don't worry, no one was hurt getting these" he said, avoiding the question.

"By the way, do you mind staying a little late today Kaneki?" asked Yoshimura. Kaneki looked up, "Not really, what do you need?" he asked. Yoshimura didn't answer the question right away, choosing instead to explain himself. "Usually I'd ask Touka, but she's studying for an important exam. Can you go get food supplies in her place?" Kaneki shook his head vigorously, "I can't hurt anyone!" he said, stepping away from Yoshimura. Yoshimura was about to say that he wouldn't be hurting anyone, not at all, but his frightened expressions made him sigh. "That's alright, I'll get someone else then" he said.

A hooded man was following Mado. He grinned as he saw the defenceless teen. Dinner. Not being able to contain himself any longer, he burst out of his secure position, dashing at Mado. Quickly, Mado swing his attaché box at him, conking him to one side. "Are you alright Mado?" asked Amon, running up beside him, "I had to take a detour" Mado held up an admonishing finger, "Rely on your senses more" he said simply before holding up a plastic bag with the pliers inside. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. The would-be attacker looked up shakily, "W-What?" he asked. Mado repeated the question, "Do you know what this is?" The ghoul shook his head, "I don't' know! I really don't!" Mado sighed, "Another blank" he said, slightly disappointed. He turned and left, leaving the ghoul bleeding behind him.

 **Hi! It's Me!**

 **Sorry for the long delay, I've been caught up with school. This chapter hasn't been pre-read so the quality may not be as good. In fact, most of my chapters are probably not going to be pre-read from now on. If anyone is willing to be a beta, PM me about it.**

 **That's all I got, Ciao!**


	4. Mask

**Hi! It's Me!**

 **Soooooo…here's chapter three. Kaneki will be getting his mask today! Exciting! I still need to decide what mask I should give him. I dunno, tell me what you think about that. I thought it over since the prologue and the original Kaneki mask was too scary and too unfitting for the new, shy and pushover Kaneki. Something cuter would be nice.**

 **That's all I got, enjoy!**

"A mask?" asked Kaneki. Yoshimura nodded, "Yes. I think it's about time you got one" he said.

"Touka!"

Touka turned around, a serving plate in her hand. "Yeah?" she asked. Yoshimura nudged Kaneki forward. "This boy here needs a mask, can you get him one?" he asked. Touka made a face that looked like contempt and scorn, "But it's my one day off!" she argued. She had-though she would never admit it-been looking forward to her break for a while now. Yoshimura looked apologetic, "I'm sorry Touka but Kaneki here really needs one" he said. Kaneki looked at Touka with those big, pleading eyes. "Please?" he asked, his tiny girlish voice finally making Touka cave in. She tried one more time, "Does he really need one?" Yoshimura eyed looked at her seriously, "Touka-chan, the 20th ward investigator's activity rate has shot up dramatically in the last few days. I want a mask ready and on hand immediately" he said. Touka looked surprised-the doves had never bothered them before, but nodded; "Alright, will do" she turned to Kaneki, and her expression dramatically changed. "Meet me at 2:30 before the train station. If you're late, there will be no guarantees you'll walk out alive" she said, brief but harshly. She looked really scary to the point where Kaneki could practically hear eerie ambient music playing. Kaneki almost fainted at the sight. "Y-Y-Yes ma'am" he said. He may be a kid, but he's a damn smart one. He wasn't going to show up late.

-Time skip: Next day-

"Touka-chan, that hurt" said Kaneki matter-of-factly. Touka huffed but didn't reply. They were in front of the train station, and Touka impatiently dragged Kaneki towards a side alley, taking a turn…well…lots of turns down one side street after another. Kaneki was amazed by Touka's confident navigation through the maze-like roads. Touka didn't seem to notice, walking until they saw a run-down place, with graffiti on the walls and cracked, boarded up windows. Touka rapped sharply on a metal door that looked like it could fall over on itself. Kaneki gulped.

"No one's answering" said Touka rhetorically as she pressed the handle downwards and let herself in, the door wasn't locked. Kaneki hurried after her. He stepped into what looked like an abandoned…masks…shop? It was hard to tell. There were mannequins everywhere with various masks and tools draped over them. On one was a half-finished mask that had a piece of measuring tape sticking to one side. The only light source seemed to be through the cracks of the boarded-up windows and a single shadeless lightbulb attatched to a flimsy wire. Kaneki looked skeptical. "Are we in the right place?" he asked. Touka shushed him, "Don't be rude" she said. Kaneki wanted to roll his eyes. He wasn't being rude, just curious.

"Uta-san! There's someone here!" shouted Touka. Kaneki waited for a response. He thought he could pick up some movement, but he wasn't sure. Walking over to a draped mannequin, he lifted up the tarp and…

"Boo" said Uta.

Kaneki gave a girly shriek before falling onto the floor. Touka was startled by the sudden noise, and swung into a defensive position, only to relax when she saw who it was. "Uta" she said laughing, "What are you doing?" Uta shrugged, "Thought I'd surprise you" he said. Kaneki made a face, that certainly surprised him alright.

"So, this is Uta" said Touka, hands out like a waitress presenting a fancy meal. Uta nodded, "That's me" he said casually. Touka continued, "He will be making your mask for you…erm…" Touka turned back to Uta and whispered, "Do you have any masks his size?" Uta thought for a moment, tilting his head slightly, "Not really. Never had a costumer like him " he said.

Touka nodded, "Then can you make one?" she asked. Uta almost smiled, "Yeah" he said. Uta turned to Kaneki, "So, what's your name?" he asked. "I-I'm Kaneki" he mumbled/stuttered. Uta nodded, "Mhm…well Kaneki, I'll see what I can do about your mask" He got up and started to sift through a drawer, pulling out measuring tapes, pens, pencils, and other unidentifiable things. "Y'know, you're pretty lucky to land in the 20th ward, things have been getting dicey elsewhere" said Uta casually, making idle conversation. Kaneki nodded, "I know" he said. He had been living in the 24th ward for so long that the 20th ward seemed like an oasis of calm. Uta got up, "Ah well, must be nice at Anteiku. Lots of sunshine, lots of socialization, lots of food"

Kaneki didn't tell him he didn't eat "food".

Uta pointed to a blank counter, "Sit there" he said, "I'll take your measurements" Kaneki waddled over, turning slightly red as he realized that he couldn't reach the countertop. Uta almost grinned. "Use you kagune" he said, "I won't judge" Kaneki-a bit embarrassedly-took out a kagune and propelled himself up. He sat there, waiting. Uta walked over, and without any warning whatsoever, started a barrage of random questions.

"Any allergies?"

"Erm…no"

"Rubber or metal?"

"They're fine"

"Do you want a full face?"

"Uhm…"

"Actually, since this is your first mask…maybe a half-face"

"Erm…"

"The eyepatch is cute; do you want it in your mask?"

Kaneki undid his eyepatch, "They're nothing special. I just wear it because my eye gets reddish whenever I get hungry" he said. "You can always eat y'know. Here, have an eyeball" he said, holding a plump eye out. Kaneki almost fainted. Uta glanced questioningly at Touka, who waved her hand dismissively. Long story, she seemed to say. Uta shrugged and popped the eye into his mouth. "How 'bout siblings. Any of those?" he asked. Kaneki was about to tell him about Rize, but something stopped him. He probably shouldn't be talking about Rize. Call it instinct.

"No" he said.

Uta shrugged. He didn't really care. Kaneki decided to change tact. "Do these questions have anything to do with my mask?" he asked. Uta nodded enigmatically, "Yeah. I feel motivated when I know my costumer better" he said.

There was a pause.

Then Uta asked, in a lower voice than before, "Tell me, what's your impression of Touka?" Kaneki didn't know how to answer that, he never thought about it before. "She's…really scary" he said slowly, putting together his thoughts as he spoke, "And gets angry easily, but she's very nice to Yoshimura". In fact, Kaneki had mixed feelings about Touka. He felt he would be safe with her, but would also suffer minor concussions as soon as she was done saving him. Uta shrugged, "To me, she's just a really hard worker" he said.

"For us to blend in with human society, we have to wear a mask that we never take off. The more involved we get, the more discrete we have to become. Touka knows all of that, and still decided to run a café. It's kind of impressive actually, when you think about it" Kaneki had to interrupt, "Why does she want to associate with humans anyways?" he asked. Uta shrugged, doodling on his sketchpad. "Not sure, but whenever I get a human costumer, I always feel a little…thrill"

Kaneki shuddered. He was having second thoughts about having Uta make a mask for him.

Time skip; 1 hour

Kaneki was walking with, or rather getting dragged along, with Touka. Touka was walking stiffly, as if spending even one day with Kaneki made her want to puke. She was in a bad mood. Kaneki kept his head down as he walked. He wasn't what one may call confident, but it was cute in a way. Besides, there was a hidden meaning behind the posture.

Kaneki was a crybaby, and wasn't good at hiding emotions. Rize had tried to teach Kaneki how to hide emotions and how to put on masks, but to no avail. Eventually, she gave up and told Kaneki to do whatever. Kaneki solved the problem in an uncharacteristic way for him, he just lowered his head. This simple tactic had worked remarkably well, and he was less-noticed ever since.

*Tokyo Ghoul!*

The night air was suddenly split by the sound of two bodies hitting a wall of an alleyway. Amon took out the pliers and held them out. "Can any of you tell me what this is?" he asked. The two ghouls, one with brown and the other with red hair, looked up. The braver (or dumber) of the pair retorted angrily, "How should I know?" Amon replied by letting his blood paint the walls behind him. The other ghoul saw what had happened and whimpered in fear. Amon turned to him, "How about you?" he asked. The ghoul rapidly shook his head, "I-I don't know!" he shouted. Mado stepped up, "You aren't lying, are you?" he asked in a soothing, low tone which was somehow scarier than if he had shouted. The ghoul shook his head, "I really don-" Mado wasted no time slashing at the offender's body. Blood painted the cement.

"Here, take this to Hinami" said Yoshumura. Kaneki nodded. Since he had arrived, he had been given various tasks to do. "Sure" he said before taking the plate and going to Hinami's room. Once he was upstairs, he went to open the door to Hinami's room. "Whoa!" Rize suddenly exclaimed as he cannoned into Kaneki. Kaneki screamed before pulling out a kagune and catching the cup of coffee. "Rize!" he complained, "What are you doing?" Rize smirked like she just cheated on a test and got away with it, "Hinami's eating, you sure you want to go in?" she asked. Kaneki gulped before getting up and sitting beside the door. "I-I-I'll wait" he said.

Then he waited.

Then, after a few minutes, he knocked again. "Hinami?" he asked. Hinami was reading now, with no trace of blood or anything else. "Come in" she said. Her voice was so feminine that it surprised him. "I, uh…brought you something" he said, opening the door and placing the cup of coffee by the table. He left as soon as the saucer touched the table. Rize stayed behind, studying Hinami. After a while, after Kaneki was gone, she asked, "Tell me, what do you think we are?" she asked. Hinami shrugged, "I don't know" she said, not meanly. "I don't want to upset you, but you smell like a ghoul but look like a human". Rize smiled, "I know, I'm both" she said, watching with satisfaction as Hinami's eyes widened, "You're a one-eye?" she asked. She had never seen one before. Rize chuckled softly, "Yep, I'm a one-eye" she said. Hinami eagerly beckoned her towards herself, "So tell me about it!" she said excitedly. Rize sat next to her, her feet not quite touching the floor, and started to tell her about how she could use all types of kagunes and how (squeamish) Kaneki never hurt anyone before and that the ghoul investigators generally leave him alone. Hinami eagerly listened to everything Rize said, the story becoming more exaggerated as Rize spoke. By the time Rize was done telling her the story, she had thought that Kaneki was a failed science experiment that escaped with the help of Rize and became the only known ghoul that had never eaten flesh and had never hurt a human, who was actually an secret CCG agent that revealed information to the rest of the ghouls in the 20th ward before anyone even knew about him. How the story got that exaggerated, he had no idea.

The scene was a cheerful one, with Rize happily telling Hinami completely bogus stories and Hinami listening eagerly as she absorved every single word. They looked so…normal, and happy.

It was touching really.

 **Hai! It** **'** **s ME!**

 **Boo! Happy Halloween! Here** **'** **s a Tokyo Ghoul story for y** **'** **all to enjoy while I go and wallow in misery at the upcoming speech I have to give in front of a whole class! So much work for a little 10-year-old like moi!**

 **That** **'** **s all I got, Ciao!**


	5. Invitation

"Morning Hinami!" said Rize.

Kaneki turned to see Rize talking with a girl, golden-browned locks and a puffy dress shirt. She was cute for her age. Apparently, Rize had been talking to her because they they seemed to know each other. The familiar tone and all. Kaneki wasn't a conversationalist, so he just stood by and waited tables while Rize and Hinami chatted for the world to see. Kaneki really wanted for her to go back to his room, that way it would be more discrete. But…Rize wouldn't listen, so Kaneki didn't bother.

The door opened

Touka, some random serving staff, and Kaneki automatically turned their heads. "Welcome!" they all said, until they saw who it was. Touka scrunched up her nose in distain. An adult person wearing really flamboyant clothing walked in. He inhaled deeply, and smiled. The smile had something in it. Kaneki thought there might be a few things wrong in the head with the guy. Touka obviously thought so. "Hi?" said Kaneki. Touka shushed him angrily. "Tsukiyama" she said. The ghoul, Tsukiyama, grinned at the defiant Touka. "Touka, such hostility" waving a finger in admonishment, "Is this how coustomers are treated?" A lot better than the 21st ward, thought Kaneki. Touka ignored the self-proclaimed person.

Tsukiyama's eyes fell on Kaneki. "Who's the fresh meat?" he asked. Kaneki stiffened at being addressed to. Touka's eyes sent out a warning, but Tsukiyama ignored her. "A little kid" mused.

Touka rolled her eyes, "You're scaring the kids" she said sarcastically. Obviously, Touka and Tsukiyama wern't the best of friends. Tskiyama shrugged, then frowned. "Hm? A half-ghoul, bleached hair…"

Kaneki, that was it.

It was strange. Despite the wide variety of ghouls, a child like Kaneki was rare. Tsukiyama took a whiff, scaring Kaneki. "Hm?"

Tsukiyama took in a strange scent. Most ghouls have either an average smell, unremarkable or a distinct smell, which made them easy to identify. But Kaneki smelt like…another person. It was as if the scent didn't fit the timid boy.

"Who is this?" asked Tsukiyama. He seemed suspicious, but that was to be expected. Touka looked at Kaneki, who was trying to inch a way from Tsykiyama. "Hm? The new guy? Kaneki" she said. Tsukiyama turned to Kaneki, then smiled. "Bonjour Kaneki" he said, "Comment ca va?" Kaneki, who wasn't multilingual, didn't understand anything he said. Touka rolled her eyes and muttered somet6hing about "scaring kids. Tsukiyama smiled winningly at her, "Touka, whatever did I do?" he asked. Touka decided to ignore him, focusing on scrubbing the counter until it shone under the faint light.

Then Tsukiyama frowned. Kaneki… Tsukiyama had heard rumors about a small ghoul with bleached hair, black attire, and an eyepatch walking around, supposedly an SSS class. Not that Tsukiyama believed it to be true, no one has seen an ghoul labeled SSS in a long time. In fact, the more Tsukiyama thought about it, the more convinced he became. Surely this…boy…couldn't be the legend? The legend of the Eyepatch Ghoul?

"Kaneki-was it?-have you heard…anything about you? Any tall tales or something?" Kaneki shrugged, "Not really" he said, "I'm not that famous"

Obviously, Kaneki had no idea now 'famous' he actually was.

Tsukiyama shrugged, "Alright then, merci"

Touka watched him go, distrust in her eyes. "Be careful around that one. One of the binges around 20th" she said.

*Tokyo Ghoul!*

"Touka!" Touka looked up to see her blond-haired friend staring at her with that what-did-you-do stare. "Mh?" she said, mouth full of processes sugar. Her friend wrinkled up her nose, "Mh? That's all you're going to say after eating that?" she said, looking at the carbs in Touka's hand. She opened her bento and selected a kaarage. "Here, try this" she said, holding it out invitingly. Touka, shrugging to herself, and bit. "Mh, that's pretty good" she said. Blondie smiled, "Really?! I played around with the spices this time, but is it really actually good?" Touka shrugged, "Yeah" Blondie smiled happily at Touka. She knew that Touka wouldn't lie to her.

She didn't know, however, that, after lunch was over, Touka had to excuse herself to go to the washroom. She bent over the toilet bowl, punching her stomach and drinking water from a plastic bottle. "I don't like this, I don't like this!" she repeated to herself as she vomited again and again. After the bout of heaving, she slumped over the bowl. The kaarage tasted like a sponge that someone used and then forgot to wash. Like someone had dipped a piece of cardboard into a dish of mold.

Like someone had made then knowing that her friend wasn't treating herself properly, and wanted to help. "Compliments to the chef" she said weakly.

Meanwhile, it was break for Kaneki as he sat outside during recess, reading a book about the size of a dictionary. He nibbled on a cookie as he sat. Tsukiyama approached the boy -looking curiously at Kaneki, then at the cookie- and sat beside Kaneki. "Monochrome of Rainbows? That's impressive" he said. Kaneki shrugged, he had heard Tsukiyama approach and wasn't surprised that there was sudenly a guy next to him. "I suppose so" he said. Tsukiyama didn't listen, instead to proceed onto a dramatic monologue, "After all! Such words, such ph-" Kaneki wasn't listening anymore, not really caring that Tsukiyama was beside him. After he was done, Kankei just replied with, "Yeah, sure"

Tsukiyama looked a little offended, he had thought his monologing was actually pretty good. "Well Kaneki, I didn't come here to talk, and I don't have much to dillydally about. There's a festival tonight, with a few other ghouls. You can come" he said. Kaneki didn't reply, so Tsukiyama jus left him with a ticket. "Think about it, and if you want to go"

"Don't be late"


End file.
